Hoàng Hữu Dương, Principal of Yên Bình Commune Lower Secondary School in Lạng Sơn Province, checks which teaching materials can still be salvaged for reuse. — VNA/VNS Photos

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has issued a directive urging urgent assessment and recovery of damage caused by Storm No 11 (Matmo) to the education sector.

The storm caused severe human and material losses across the northern and north-central regions, leaving hundreds of schools damaged. Many textbooks, teaching aids, and learning materials were swept away or destroyed, disrupting teaching and learning activities in affected areas.

The PM requested that provincial and municipal People’s Committees direct education departments and relevant agencies to promptly assess the damage and report to the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) by 3pm on October 14. The assessment must detail human casualties, damage to school facilities and learning materials, and the number of schools affected or closed.

Local governments have been told to mobilise provincial budgets, central support, and other legal resources to repair damaged schools and ensure safe, hygienic learning conditions for students returning to class.

The MoET has been assigned to guide and supervise the recovery work, provide timely support in textbooks and teaching equipment, and prepare a consolidated national report on education sector losses for submission to the Prime Minister by October 15.

PM Chính also directed the ministries of Public Security, National Defence, and Agriculture and Environment to deploy local forces to help clean up and repair schools, while the Ministry of Finance is to allocate resources to support affected provinces. — VNS

Floodwaters have submerged several schools in Vân Hà Ward, Bắc Ninh Province.